SUNDAY: Madison does not arrive home from her trip to Pennsylvania until tomorrow so it is just Michael, Max, Mallory & I for Sunday dinner. Like most of you, we will be out and about trying to cross off the last few items on our Christmas lists. I wanted something easy yet festive for dinner tonight and these Cheesy Sweet & Sour Pomegranate Thai Chicken Enchiladas caught my eye earlier this week. The pomegranate sauce sounds wonderful!

MONDAY: Madison comes home! Michael, Max & Mallory will pick her up from the airport before lunch and then they will head up to the barn to take care of the horses. After a week away in Southern Pennsylvania riding other people’s horses Madison cannot wait to see her own. With everyone out of the house, I will put on Christmas music and wrap presents…one of my favorite things to do. Throughout the year, I collect specialty ribbons and adornments as I come across them in my travels and I keep them tucked away, reserved especially for Christmas. I love that the wrapping becomes part of the gift and we often repurpose these specialty items…one year, very wide, sapphire blue velvet ribbon was used to trim a denim jacket of Mallory’s and vintage shoe clips, picked up at a flea market and used to finish the ribbon around a package instead of a bow, were turned into pins which the girls still use to fasten their stock ties when dressed in their riding habit at shows. I can’t wait to give Maddie a big hug and have us all back together again, just in time for Christmas. Tonight’s pot roast dinner is simple comfort food…

TUESDAY: A fondue on christmas Eve is part of our holiday tradition and this Classic Cheese Fondue is our favorite. It is an out-of-the-ordinary, yet simple, dinner the children have enjoyed since they were little. I have a large coffee table in our family room that gets covered in a tablecloth and our fondue spread is set upon it. We sit on the floor around the table and dip away as we watch A Christmas Carol. I like to prepare a special dessert on Christmas Eve, saving a lighter treat as a finish to a large Christmas dinner. When the children were younger, we all agreed that Santa probably got tired of having cookies at all of his stops so he always enjoyed a plate or bowl of our special dessert adding a bit of variety to his long night. This year, a Gingerbread~White Chocolate Mousse Trifle will be our holiday treat. {Some of the gingerbread set aside and served warm with this Rosemary~Apple Butter would make a lovely breakfast on Christmas morning.}

FRIDAY: After a food intensive week, we are all ready for an easy dinner on the lighter side. This Cheese Tortellini in Minestrone will give us a healthy dose of vegetables and cooking the soup in my crock pot will leave me with little to do come dinner time.

On that note, I am going to retreat to my family and home for the next couple of weeks. I will post a Weekly Menu next Sunday but regular posting will resume after the New Year’s holiday. My best wishes to you all for a very Merry & Blessed Christmas!

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Kitchen Table Wisdom

"There is enormous pleasure in cooking good food simply and in sharing the cooking and the eating with friends & family. I think it is the best antidote to our overstressed modern lives. And there is nothing better than putting a plate of delicious food on the table for the people you love."
~ Alice Waters

"I would rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck"
~ Emma Goldman

"...no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing." ~ Julia Child {My Life In France}

"Eat together. No matter how modest the meal, create a special place to sit down together, and set the table with care and respect. Savor the ritual of the table. Mealtime is a time for empathy and generosity, a time to nourish and communicate." ~ Alice Waters

"Dining with one's friends and beloved family is certainly one of life's primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal." ~ Julia Child